Multiple schools across New York state were evacuated on Wednesday over fires and smoke coming from Chromebook laptops. 

This comes amid a viral trend encouraging students to insert lead or metal items into the USB port of their Chromebooks, labeled the “Chromebook Challenge” or “Chromebook Trend," in an effort to force an electrical short circuit.

Fire officials say Shaker High School in Latham was evacuated Wednesday morning after a Chromebook caught fire. The Latham Fire Department says a hall monitor removed the device outside before the West Albany Fire Department’s hazardous materials team responded to properly contain the lithium-ion battery. Several students were evaluated due to the potential for smoke exposure. Officials have not yet determined if the fire was caused by tampering with the device or a malfunction. 

In Baldwinsville, school officials say a fire alarm was activated at C.W. Baker High School and the building was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a student allegedly tampered with a school-issued Chromebook. The school district is investigating if the incident is tied to the social media trend.

In Rochester, police say hazmat crews removed a smoking Chromebook from Exploration Charter School at around 3:30 p.m. One person was treated for smoke inhalation.

Fire officials say they have now had 21 incidents across the state in seven different counties, and that's counting only the cases that have been reported. 

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office of Fire Prevention and Control and the State Education Department released information last Friday on the dangers of the trend, warning of the serious fire risk and the large quantities of toxic and flammable vapor that could be produced from tampering with the laptops.

It says when the lithium-ion batteries in these computers are pierced, it creates what’s called thermal runaway that explodes, catches fire and sets off toxic gases, which, if breathed in, are harmful. If it does occur, she says you should not pick up or touch the device.

“If it does occur? They should be evacuating all the students from the classroom, leaving the device where it is, if it's safe to do so, and [if] the device is plugged into the wall, remove the plug from the wall and then shut the door behind them as they evacuate the classroom," Deputy State Fire Administrator Luci Labriola-Cuffe said. "So, it's isolating the incident to the room of the origin of where it is and then hit the fire alarm and evacuate the school.”

Labriola-Cuffe says even if there was an attempt to ignite the battery, the fire department should be alerted.

“The thermal runaway, when it catches fire, it can continue to catch fire hours later," she said. "So, the device itself, once it gets damaged, is not safe to be put in a closet or put away somewhere. It actually needs to be packaged up. Fire departments have the packaging to do that.”

Labriola-Cuffe believes there are more cases of damaged and potentially dangerous devices out there that should be reported to fire officials.

“So, I want them to understand that they need to take it more seriously," she said. "This isn't a funny trend. It's actually harmful. And they're also damaging property, the school’s property. In addition, quite honestly, this could be considered a crime. Arson 2 is the intent to start a fire in an occupied building, and that's essentially what they're doing.”

The Emergency Services Office of Fire Prevention and Control is working with school districts to get the word out about the severity of this problem.

“We really encourage students not to do it," Labriola-Cuffe said. "And we encourage parents to talk to their students about not doing this.”